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embase

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An archaic verb meaning to degrade, lower in status, or debase; in poetry, it describes a fall from grace, a moral decline, or the diminishing of a person's worth or dignity.

Detailed Definition
The term 'embase' is an archaic word that signifies the act of lowering or degrading something. In this poem, it is used to convey the idea of diminishing the world's glory, suggesting that the beauty of the Angel's face stands in stark contrast to the superficiality of worldly values. This word adds a layer of depth to the poem's exploration of art and beauty.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “this world’s worthless glory to embase,” embase means to lower, degrade, or make base, close in sense to debase; A Renaissance poet might say flattery “embases” honour by turning virtue into performance; In moral or religious poetry, worldly pride can embase the soul, dragging it from spiritual aspiration to vanity; The word often carries a downward movement, as if noble metal were alloyed with something cheap; A modern paraphrase might be: “No praise of worldly splendour can embase her worth,” meaning it cannot lessen or cheapen it
Additional Notes
The use of 'embase' illustrates the poet's intention to critique the superficial nature of worldly glory in comparison to divine beauty.; Found in the poem, The glorious portrait of that Angel's face by Edmund Spenser
Also Known As
debase lower degrade
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